Rio de Janeiro -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rio de Janeiro 's special forces moved quickly and did n't stop to chat Monday as they peered in windows and knocked on doors in Rocinha , the city 's biggest shantytown .

In a predawn raid the day before , 3,000 troops seized control of the hilltop favela , wresting from the hands of drug traffickers . They declared victory in just two hours , without firing a single shot .

`` Today a lot of the drug dealers are gone , '' said Luis Machado , one of the officers in charge of the door-to-door searches . `` Others are hidden . And it 's now that we 're going to find them and the weapons . ''

The massive operation was part of efforts secure Rio de Janeiro and eliminate bloody drug gangs ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the Olympic Games two years later .

For many of Rocinha 's 100,000 residents , it was business as usual on Monday .

Food stalls displayed strings of garlic and onions while motorcycle taxis zipped up and down the winding roads .

`` Thank god it 's over , '' said Giovani , a food vendor . `` It 's 100 % better . It 's better than normal . ''

Rocinha 's top drug trafficker , Antonio Francisco Bomfim , known as Nem , was captured by police last week , days before the invasion .

According to residents , a three-story house overlooking the shantytown and beachside condominiums below had been his home until his arrest .

Inside , all appliances and even bathroom fixtures had been ripped out , but the signs of luxury are evident , including a small pool and private gym . An empty bottle of Black Label whiskey sits on the glass bar .

Still , in many ways , the hard work has only just begun .

Mountains of trash line the streets , and tangled masses of electrical wires dangle over houses .

`` Before this was called a favela because it was full of criminals , '' said Juliete , an 18-year-old physical trainer . `` Now things have to be done to call it a neighborhood . We need running water , proper sewage and things for young people to do . ''

Raimundo Cesario , who has lived in Rocinha for 40 years , agreed .

`` The system trapped young people in a life of crime . But it 's also true that they helped people when they needed it , '' he said . `` We 'll have to see if things are better or worse under the police . ''

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A door-to-door search follows a raid to take control of a Brazilian favela , or shantytown

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`` It 's 100 % better . It 's better than normal , '' a food vendor says

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Rio de Janeiro is trying to crack down on crime before the 2014 World Cup